PTA with Bhutan may come into force from July

The Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between Bangladesh and Bhutan is expected to come into force from July 01 this year - more than one and a half years after signing a deal in this regard, said officials. On December 06,...

A different pattern of accidents

Road accidents during the Eid vacations mark a sharp rise for reasons understandable. This year is no exception. But to most people's surprise, this time the mass exodus of holidaymakers from the capital and other cities has gone on reasonably...

60,000MT cooking oils reach Ctg Port, more on way

Soybean oil was almost out of market on Saturday. During this severe crisis, this trader in Tegharia area of Dhaka's South Keraniganj is seen selling loose soybean oil in small quantities to each customer — FE photo by Shafiqul Alam...

Export cash incentives come under crosscheck

All of the export products entitled to cash incentives will be examined physically at the customs houses before shipment from now on, in a bid to forestall any forgery. The customs wing of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has...

Imports jump 50pc in nine months of FY '22

Bangladesh's overall imports jumped by nearly 50 per cent in the first nine months of this fiscal year (FY '22) following higher imports of fuel oils and industrial raw materials, officials said. The settlement of letters of credit (LCs), generally...

A well-structured commodity exchange in five years

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) has started its job to establish a well-structured commodity marketplace within five years to ensure fair prices of goods for consumers, producers and peasants.Chairman of the port city bourse Asif Ibrahim said this in an interview...

Growing in the cradle of Nature

Do we get wood planks from paddy plants? This bizarre question is often cited to give an idea of the knowledge gap of children born and brought up in cities. Why paddy plants? After all, the staple of the Bangalees...

Most listed banks post higher EPS growth in 2021

Most of the listed banks posted higher profits in 2021, compared to the previous year, largely due to higher operating income.According to market insiders, the central bank's latest relaxation on provisioning, bullish stock market and record imports and exports helped...

Deep seaport will be the regional export-import hub

CHATTOGRAM, May 06: The deep seaport being constructed by the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) in Matarbari of Cox's Bazar will turn into the most important export-import hub of the region in future, hopes Chairman of the CPA Rear Admiral M...

Shrimp and prawn prospect in BD

Frozen foods (shrimp, prawn and fish) ranked seventh among export items as per Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau count done in 2021. Yet it is possible to come round to the initial ranking shortly through executing some dos.In the 1990s, to...

Returning power of technology to people

As every new invention in science is both a blessing and a curse, the information technology is also not an exception to this general rule. The information technology, through the internet, has indeed revolutionised dissemination of information by making it...

BD external trade slows amid port jam

Bangladesh's foreign-trade delivery slows as the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday virtually halted container handling at Chittagong seaport, creating acute shipping jam, sources say.Some vessels now have been waiting up to eight days for berthing at the country's prime port.On Thursday, the day...

Tourists throng Ctg, CHT, Cox's Bazar

CHATTOGRAM, May 05: A large number of tourists from across the country have gathered in Chattogram and its adjoining districts -- Cox's Bazar, Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari - during the long Eid-ul-Fitr vacation. The Eid vacation officially began on May...

Perspectives of great festivals

Before the invention of agriculture in 8,500 BC, known as Neolithic Revolution, human races had their migration much like the animals in African Savanna and birds from the chilly and frozen northern hemisphere to the warmer tropical parts in Asia...

BBA hunts for funders of $102.77b

The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) starts finding financiers from both development partners and public-private partnership (PPP) as its feasibility study reveals a $102.77-billion investment plan until 2050.Last week, a Spanish firm submitted the study recommending development of a 238-kilometre network...

BD sets sights on export possibilities in Africa

Bangladesh looks to grab export opportunities in untapped African countries, including tightening trade ties and increasing export earnings, with intent to address its LDC graduation challenges, officials say.With this end in view, commerce ministry is working to explore the prospects...

Enduring relevance of May Day

Though a large number of industrial units have paid the wages and salaries for March and some have also paid half of the salaries for April before Eid-ul-fitr holiday, workers in many factories have not got their dues. Though some...

A journey of learning through creativity, imagination, inquiry

Aisha Khan, at 18 now, completed her International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) from a reputed school in Bangladesh. Besides academic learning, she learned time management, critical thinking, and research skills in school. Thanks to a dynamic learning environment that...

Ukraine war becoming clash of nuclear egos

With the Western powers hell-bent on seeing that Russia is defeated in its ongoing campaign in Ukraine, the Kremlin has also upped the ante by reiterating its threat of using its unspecified weapon of the ultimate kind. The latest of...

Jute millers for action against packaging law violators

Private jute millers have sought to take multiple measures against frequent violations of the 'Mandatory Jute Packaging Act-2010' across the country, sources say.They claim commodities are being sold, transported, imported and exported, discounting the law by using artificial sacks and...

Stocks fall as investors weigh earnings

The benchmark equity index retreated into the red in the last week before the Eid holiday as cautious investors opted to book profit on quick-gaining stocks.The week to Thursday featured five trading days as usual -- three sessions closed positive...

Playground gets the better of police station

At last it has been once again Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who had to use her good offices for securing children's right to play at Tentultala playground in the city's Kalabagan area. Syeda Ratna and her son Priangsu's 13-hour ordeal...

Minding healthcare of Dhaka's traffic police

The infinite number of stories coming daily on print, electronic and social media tell the miseries of Dhaka city dwellers whose life has become sluggish and exhausting by the perennial traffic jams which became particularly agonising during this Ramadan and...

Toll fixing shortly after Eid, opening in June

Toll rates for the much-cherished Padma multipurpose bridge (PMB) are likely to be final shortly after Eid vacation as the project office plans to inaugurate the engineering icon in June, sources say.The tolls are proposed 1.5-times higher than the existing...

Priority for playground or police station!

The status of Tentultala playground located in the city's Kalabagan area has needlessly been made a contentious issue. If the latest Detailed Area Plan (DAP) of Dhaka, already gazetted, maintains the playground as an open space, how can its status...

Higher cash withdrawal for Eid raises call money rate

The inter-bank call money rate increased slightly on Thursday mainly due to higher withdrawal of cash from the banks ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr.The call rate ranged between 4.75 per cent and 5.25 per cent on the day against the previous...

MoC also guns for cut in taxes on cooking oils

The commerce ministry has asked the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to cut all kinds of duty, tax and tariff value on sunflower, olive and canola oils at import stage, aiming to cut dependency on widely consumed soybean and palm...

Entrepreneurship can spur recovery

Prioritising the development of entrepreneurship can expedite resilient recovery from Covid-induced economic shock in Bangladesh, Mike Kazi tells the FE in an interview.He urges the policy-makers to provide a guideline for the talented young workforce to become entrepreneurs rather than...

Of Tetultola, of shrinking spaces

It took the courage of an environmental-cum-cultural activist mother and her teenaged son for us to remember that we have a problem with those who would wield power in indiscriminate fashion. This mother-son team braved all the odds to protest...

BD exports to take a hit

A controversial new currency policy introduced by the military-backed government of Myanmar may impact Bangladesh's exports to the neighbouring nation. The policy shift may also affect the export shipment of Bangladesh's pharmaceutical products to the country, said officials.The Bangladesh mission...